The Solo

[bryanpin]

question for ya Shelby, if you show up at the creek and no one else does. do you go home?

[Heath]

question for ya Shelby, if you show up at the creek and no one else does. do you go home?

not shelby, but, I have on occasion.

also ran crooked once by my self with the help of some on lookers.

[shelbyjohnson]

question for ya Shelby, if you show up at the creek and no one else does. do you go home?

No but that has only happened a maybe once or twice. And sticking to the original post I would say it was not a test of skill, although philosophically I may be mixing semantics to me it was more an affirmation of what I knew my skill to be.

Beside that though walking your own shuttle blows. Wetsuit chaffing, and framunda cheese build up and shoes that ain't made to walk a long ways made me wish I'd done otherwise.

[shelbyjohnson]

For those uneducated about the melodious aroma of framuda cheese see me at the Richland takeout tomorrow afternoon and I'll explain.

[Cowper]

For those uneducated about the melodious odor of framuda cheese see me at the Richland takeout tomorrow afternoon and I'll explain.

Proceed at your own risk. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

[ARzach]

For those uneducated about the melodious odor of framuda cheese see me at the Richland takeout tomorrow afternoon and I'll explain.

Proceed at your own risk. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Although I would love to meet you at the Richland takeout tomorrow, I will definitely pass on the cheese expo. I'd bet it doesn't smell much better than the weird growth, which killed the EXTREMELY weird growth, always found in Fish's paddling-booties...

--Zach

[JohnB]

I've done quite a bit of solo boating, usually not by plan, but as the result of being the only one who showed up. One day, a week or so after a big ice storm, I worked in Hot Springs, then hauled ax to the Cossatot. I went to the Falls and hung around and was about to decide just to run the Falls when a state parks guy pulled up in a flat bed truck. He and a FEMA rep were assessing timber damage from the ice and agreed to let me ride on the bed up to Ed Banks. Temps were in the 30's, it was February and mid-afternoon by then. The parks guy let me know that they were the only folks around and they wouldn't be back, so I was on my own. Probably not good judgement with the cold temps and short day, but it was rewarding. I've run the 'tot, Piney, Richland, the Numbers and the Roaring Fork in Co, among others solo. High water on Slaughterhouse of the Roaring Fork was probably the most intimidating. It definitely changes your behavior on the river and heightens your awareness of hazards. I'm not a lone wolf and would rather have my buds around for sure, but sometimes you just find yourself there and have to make a decision.

[David Lewis]

When I was new to kayaking I took my new 14-foot sea kayak on a solo overnight trip down the Buffalo. Although somewhat experienced in a canoe, I was green in a kayak. But, hey, it's the Buffalo, right?

On day two I got carried right into a big strainer. I saw it coming from a good ways off, but that long Perception Carolina just went right where the river wanted it to. I stayed upright in the strainer -- at first, anyway -- but was stuck good. The boat did tip upstream as I crawled out of it onto the branches I was tangled in, getting it even stucker. Eventually two kind souls in a canoe came by with a rope (which I, foolishly, did not have) and, with some struggling by all of us, got my boat free. It could have been much worse. It was then that I swore off solo kayaking on a river.

[Dis147]

"I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude", Thoreau. Unfortunately when applied to boating, that companion can't throw a rope.

[RomanLA]

Even in a group, it's not hard to find yourself in a position where you have to save yourself. That's just the nature of the sport. There are also times when you're not going to be able to help yourself though.

I enjoy both kayaking and backpacking alone. When I'm alone, I'm much more conservative with my decision making. I'm also much more alert and seem to have a heightened sense of awareness.

I enjoy the time to get in my head and think about things. I also enjoy the more intimate experience with nature. For me, soloing is the right choice and worth the risks. I definitely don't recommend it though.

[Owl]

I've never paddled solo but I've enjoyed backpacking alone a number of times. Like Roman says, it requires a heightened sense of awareness relative to the risks and conservative decision making.

I always console myself with the thought that, even if the worst should occur, it beats dying in a nursing home.

[Mike_P]

Obviously everyone has to make their own decision on risk versus reward. We saw not long ago solo outdoor photography can be risky. With my medical background I've seen too many "it seemed like a good idea at the time" cases. I wouldn't whitewater kayak alone but to each his own.

Mike P.